


Return to Sender

by Nordic_girl1



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Old Friends, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-01-31 02:59:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12666873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nordic_girl1/pseuds/Nordic_girl1
Summary: After coming to terms that the Sole Survivor should visit an old friend, old feelings start to rekindle, even if said feelings are said to be impossible between human and synth.*Minimal* spoilers from the main quest line, but still spoilers.





	1. Chapter 1

The hot summer sun beat down on your head harshly, making you sweat in the worn and dirty Vault-Tec jumpsuit you still wore after all these years. It gave you a sense of novelty, comfort even, as you spent your life wandering the wastes of the Commonwealth. 

It had only been about three years since you awoke to find the land you were used to living in destroyed by the nuclear fallout, but in that time you learned some highly valuable lessons. One of which was that friends were hard to come by, and even harder to keep alive.

Dogmeat, your faithful canine companion, ran to keep up with you, even with a bum leg that he now held bent at all times. He had gotten into a rather nasty encounter with some mole rats a few days ago that left his left front leg all but shredded. You had managed to keep the infection down by rinsing it with water, but you weren’t sure if it would heal to the point of him walking on it anymore. He usually went to bite whenever you tried to look at it. 

You knew there was only one man in the world that could do anything to Dogmeat, without question. That man was Nick Valentine. Private detective operating out of Diamond City even after all this time. He was the one that introduced you to Dogmeat in the first place a bit over two years ago. The three of you seemed to work together perfectly, like pieces of a long forgotten puzzle. 

 

All good things must come to an end, though.

 

Nick had approached you after almost a year of traversing the wastes, expressing what he called his “gut instinct”. He told you he wished to go back to his office in Diamond City, pick up detective work again after the refreshing break you gave him. This obviously hurt you in more ways than he could imagine, you two had gotten so close and bonded over your search for Shaun, which you had all but abandoned after more personal endeavors came into play.

Dogmeat followed you though, even after Nick left. It was the last bit of a reminder of him that made you smile, yet ache with hurt. You figured you would swallow your pride, and take Dogmeat to see Nick to let him look at his leg, since it always seemed like they had a stronger bond. You also thought about letting Dogmeat retire and live out his days in relative peace, especially after this incident. You couldn’t risk losing him in a senseless fight that could’ve been easily prevented if you would’ve payed more attention.

Seeing Nick was only for the best intentions of Dogmeat, and not much else. Though you had to muster your courage and try not to snap violently when you came to the realization you should see him, you promised yourself that you wouldn’t let your guard down around him, to act selfish and crude when he speaks. Spitefulness seemed to get you places rather than kindness in this world. 

Your dusty shoes brushed against the earth as you walked up to the gate of Diamond City. Some guards stationed around the city walls waved you in, figuring it wouldn’t be worth their time to ask for any form of identification. A heavily armed guard held out his hand, asking you to stop for a moment, which you obliged, seeing that it wouldn’t be your best interest to disobey the authority, out of fear of what they’d do to you.

“State your business.”

“Passing through, here to see someone. Stock up on supplies.”

He looked down, “And the dog?”

“He’s with me. Keeps to himself, don’t worry.”

Dogmeat responded to the mention of him by sitting and looking up at the guard, his ears perked up with interest.

“Very well, head in.” He reached behind him and hit a buzzer on an intercom device, the gate slowly lifting up.

You walked in to see Diamond City still looking the same after the last time you were here, which was almost two years ago. Dogmeat sniffed at the ground and he started to whine with excitement, his tail wagging quickly as he barked and ran off. You sighed and followed him through the maze of a city, until you arrived at an illy lit passageway, with only one bright neon sign guiding you to your destination, Dogmeat clawing at the door.

You slowly opened the door, the dog busting through, barking and whining loudly. You went at a much slower pace, creeping your way into the desolate building. Dogmeat was sniffing around, sitting next to the figure that was currently slumped over a work desk.

A lit cigarette hung loosely from his lips, the air around him smelling of strong, unfiltered tobacco, to the point of making you gag. You slowly walked up behind him, Dogmeat pawing at his trenchcoat.

He sat up a little bit straighter, clearing his throat. He held up a hand, an unlit cigarette between two of his fingers, offering it to you.

You took it without much thought, pulling a lighter out of your bag and lighting it, taking a long drag.

“I see you haven’t changed at all.” His head turned to look at you, ember eyes boring deep into yours.

You ignored him partly, expelling the smoke from your nostrils, perhaps as a way of being improper in front of him,

“And that’s supposed to mean?”

“Gladly taking things off of other’s hands, like how you just took that cigarette I worked so hard for.”

“It’s only fifty caps a pack right now, that hard pressed for money?”

“Perhaps, but that’s none of your business now, is it?” He reached down to pat Dogmeat on the head.

“Why such a sour attitude, Nicky?-”

“First off, you know I hate that nickname, second off, you know it’s been quite a while. You’ve seemed to abandon me, haven’t even bothered to come visit me from time to time.”

“Only because I thought you didn’t want to see me again.”

“Tell me, doll, why would I ever say or think that?” He pulled out a chair and invited you to sit next to him.

You sat down and shrugged, “Assuming I guess.”


	2. Chapter 2

He chuckled lightly as he continued to read over a paper, “Again, you haven’t changed at all.”

You rolled your eyes.

“Tell me, what brings you here?”

“Have you not looked at your dog?”

“My dog? Who ever said he was mine?” He shook his head and looked down at him, “My god, what did you do to his leg?”

“I didn’t do a thing. He was rooting in mole rat den again, should’ve pulled him out before he got hurt.”

“So it is your fault then?”

“Can we not focus on that? Look, I need you to look at it, see what the damage is. He won’t let me get a good look in before he snaps. Plus if he does bite you, you won’t feel much of anything.”

He gave you a rather dirty look, “I’ll have you know I can feel things just fine. I’m just a bit rough around the edges.”

You had to stop yourself from laughing, putting the word ‘rough’ in at least a half dozen quotation marks. The man had barely any artificial skin left clinging to his synth skeleton, his face being the only thing that could be somewhat identifiable as human. Even so, the skin was old and worn, and resembled leather more than anything.

Nick must have picked up on your insult, his eyes slightly slanting with annoyance, “Anyways, it looks like it isn’t that bad, should heal just fine, he’s just holding it because of the swelling.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“Sure don’t show it.”

You stood and sighed, “Look, I know we didn’t part on the best of terms. Why are you still so moody about it?”

“I think the better question is, why are you?”

You swallowed and sat down again. Facing towards him, you opened up your bag again and started digging in a small compartment in the side. You pulled out a hefty stack of letters, fanning them out on the desk in front of Nick. 

He looked down at them, squinting until he realized what they were, “You still have all of these?”

You nodded, “I couldn’t bring myself to throw them out, no matter how much resentment I had in my heart.”

“Why though? They’re just letters.”

“Letters from you, Nick. Letters saying things that a man hasn’t said to me since Nate has died. They’re honestly invaluable. I couldn’t possibly fathom the thought of parting with them.”

“That or you’re just a damn hoarder.”

You shrugged, “Or maybe I just loved you, Nick. Ever think of that?”

His eyes softened, “But you know that-”

“I know, it’s a bit outlandish for your kind to have a serious relation with mine.”

“It’s not even that.”

You sighed softly, “What is it then?”

“Well, what if I told you I felt the same way?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, really sorry for making the first two chapters rather choppy and abrupt, I'm sure the next chapter will explain why they needed to be written this way.


	3. March, 2288 (Part 1)

It had been a little over a month since you started working alongside Nick Valentine. Mostly a paper pusher, but somewhat helpful with the whole process, seeing that he was rather picky with the way he did things. He was currently out on business, leaving you to watch over his office, not that you had much else to do. 

The days were mostly spent reading over case files and any clues Nick had happen to come across, seeing if there was some break you could find, or perhaps see if any cases were related. This also included the case of your own missing son.

Traces were all but lost after your rather turbulent encounter with Kellogg, finding out Shaun was taken to the Institute. After your encounter with the fearsome synths that protected the fort, you decided it wouldn’t be the best decision to throw yourself in the thick of where those synths were created. You hated to say it, but you had just about given up trying to find your baby, who in all reality was probably long gone by this point. 

He was just another thing that the wastes had managed to take from you.

You sat slumped over your desk, reading yet another case file, compiling evidence and clues, just to make the process easier for Nick whenever he decided to come back. He would leave for days, sometimes weeks at a time. Ellie more often than not skipped out on you now, seeing that you did most of the work around the office. You ran your fingers through your hair and tuned the radio on your Pipboy to the usual, regularly bland Diamond City Radio. Nat King Cole was on yet again, but the tune of the old world still made you grin.

You soon found yourself stepping along to a small two-step in your seat. It took you back to your life with Nate, who often made you swoon with his dance skills.

That of course was ages ago now. You turned the radio up louder, trying to drown out the noise of the busy city outside. You then found yourself singing along with the tune as well, tapping your feet as you stood to file some of the paperwork. You fought with the rusted-out drawers of one of the filing cabinets, thrusting it open suddenly and hitting yourself in the gut, knocking the wind out of you. You coughed lightly, giving the cabinet a dirty look and then kicking the side of it hard. 

“Nat King Cole again? They really don’t have variety anymore, do they?” A raspy yet smooth voice said from across the room.

You looked over to see Nick, leaning up against the wall, his eyes surveying the room,

“Cleaned up quite a bit in here. Did you keep that busy while I was gone?”

“Of course. They’re sorted alphabetically now. You’ll find any clues or evidence in the files now, as well as any possible connections to another case file.”

“Impressive. I’ve never seen a human work so effectively.”

You shrugged, trying to act humble, “Just part of the job, I suppose.”

He grinned lightly and pulled out a chair to sit next to you, “I’ll most likely be heading out again tomorrow, I’ve got a real good lead so far, can’t let it slip away.”

“You’ve left me alone here for two weeks already!”

“What about Ellie? She’s usually here.”

“Seems that she thinks I’m her replacement. Haven’t seen her in a few days now.”

“I can see why, though. You’ve really tidied this office up.”

You sighed, “That’s still not the point, Nick. I can organize, sure. But this is still more than enough work for one person.”

He nodded, “Agreed. I’ll get around to talking to her.”

“No need. I’m used to doing things on my own.”

His eyes shifted, “Whatever you say, just trying to help.”

“You would be helping if you could get me out of this junk heap.”

“Hate it here that much?”

“Not as much hate as boredom. I’ve been stuck here filing paperwork since I’ve been helping you out.”

“You can always take a break, you know.”

“It’s not that. I’m asking if I can go with you.”

His one eyebrow raised, “You know how specific I am about things.”

“I’ve noticed. But please, just this once? I’m going crazy sitting here and filing all day.”

He rolled his eyes and sighed, “Fine, but the next case, alright? I seriously need to wrap this one up soon.”

You nodded, “Promise?”

“When have I ever made a promise I couldn’t keep?”

You shrugged, “Never, I assume.”

“Mhm. It’s getting late. You should go get something to eat and get some rest, I’ll be here in the morning.”

You nodded and sighed, letting yourself out the door, walking out into the now almost silent streets of the city. Most shops were closed by now, leaving you to lean up against the side of a small metal shack, digging in your bag for the first thing you could eat, which happened to be some sort of canned meat you picked up on your travels.

After eating, you sat your bag under your head, trying to get comfortable and eventually falling asleep under a dusky sky.


	4. A Very Serious Note

Hello everyone. It's me, back from the dead. I apologize for the agonizing waits for any updates. I have been in and out of the hospital the past few months. Also, college work has really weighed me down. I've also apparently lost the save files for "Promises to Keep", so any updates on that is going to have to be done from scratch. Updates will be coming, I have not abandoned AO3. Thank you all for your continued support.


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